Echoes
by aolande1
Summary: Based on Andy's face in the backseat of the car when they were driving to the warehouse.  Will end up being an alternate ending to "Takedown."
1. Chapter 1

Nope, I don't own Rookie Blue.

**A/N: **So this one is based all on Andy's face in the back of the Suburban when they were driving to that warehouse. I thought that was the most prominent scene in the finale episode. Her face said it all. I'm going to try to add another chapter to this one as long as you all like it =) It will be my first chapter story! I obviously didn't like the way things ended with Sam and Andy so this version will be substantially different. Any way I hope you enjoy..sorry its a bit wordy. I promise there will be conversation later.

Your reviews on my first story have been great! They convinced me to publish this one as well. So please review, thanks!

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The radio in the Suburban exploded, "_Shots fired! Shots fired!"_ Two words that no officer wants to hear. And at this very moment Andy McNally could hear nothing but those two words.

On her left, Andy faintly heard Noelle scream into the radio, "This is Alpha one, there's an undercover cop in the building! I repeat an undercover cop in the building."

_Sam._

Her breath caught. She stared at the radio. All she could hear from the other end was gunshots and men screaming.

Andy felt herself slipping away into her thoughts. She felt herself freeze up. Her heart fell and her skin turned ice cold as goose bumps arose covering her entire body. Her breathing caught as her throat began to close up. She had only experienced this level of shock one other time and that was when she shot the pedophile at the rec center.

It only got worse. _"Dispatch, I have one victim, shot in the chest, have all responding units seal the building."_ And at that, Andy went over the edge. She could no longer hear the sounds of the sirens or the voices of her fellow officers. The world echoed around her. She was now lost in her mind. Thoughts focused solely on her partner. He can't be hurt. He can't be dead. He just couldn't be. She can't lose him. Not now, not like this. Nothing was supposed to happen to him. Not to Sam.

The ride from Mermaid Lounge to the abandoned warehouse wasn't too far. Not that Andy paid any attention to the drive. All she could think about was _him_. Except now she wasn't thinking about him lying bleeding on the ground or wrapped in a body bag. No, now she was thinking about their journey together. He had been with her from the start. He had reminded her of that earlier tonight.

As they drove, Andy remembered the first time she saw Sam. He was dressed like a punk, pretending to be a drug addict. And although she would never admit it to him, she was attracted to him right away. From the moment she kicked that door in. Bad boys. She always went for the bad boy. She remembered tackling him in the alley. Him being a cop didn't even cross her mind. He even tried to tell her, but she was too thrilled to be getting her first arrest underway to really listen to what he was saying.

Then there was the night at the Penny. Their moment in the parking lot. The almost kiss. So much has happened with them since that night. That night almost seems like it happened in a different life. As she remembered the way he said her last name and the way she moved in toward his chest as she shook his hand, she realized that was the moment when it all began. The very beginning of the roller coaster ride that is now her life with Sam Swarek in it. She couldn't fathom a life without Sam. She wasn't strong enough to let her brain take her there.

She continued to sift through her memories. She remembered their first undercover op together. The night she ruined everything because she simply couldn't pretend to be a prostitute. She screwed up big time. She had apologized to him the following morning in the parking lot, but of course he wasn't mad at her. He didn't want anything to happen to her. She knew that. He said those exact words right to her face. That was the moment Andy realized that Sam would do anything for her. He would never let anything happen to her. He would protect her with his life. She trusted Sam. He trusted her. He had trusted her tonight to have his back and she did. She just had to pray that she wasn't too late. It couldn't be too late.

Not only did she trust Sam, but she knew she could depend on Sam. She thought about the time he had agreed to go to Marie's house with her to fix the plumbing. He didn't know Marie or Benny, but he went because she had asked him to help. That's the kind of man Sam Swarek is. The amount of respect that Andy had for him was overwhelming at times. She saw right through his tough guy act. She knew that he would do anything for anyone, especially her.

Then there was the night of the blackout. The night that she has thought about every day since. The night she had gone to him because she knew he was the only one who would be able to make her feel better. He understood, he always understood. She knew that he would listen to her. He would let her get it all out. He would let her hit him if that's what she needed to do. That night she had made the best mistake of her life. She had admitted that much to Traci. Maybe it wasn't a mistake at all. Maybe calling it a mistake was her way of running away from what almost happened. She was still sorting out her feelings from that night. She wasn't sure what the feelings were, or at least didn't want to admit them to herself, but they were there and they weren't going away anytime soon. That much she was sure of.

She remembered when she was first introduced to a funny Sam Swarek. During their trip to Sudbury he had shown her a completely different side of himself. He had jokes. Sure, they were corny, but he got points for effort in her book. She loved laughing with him that day. She loved being with him that day. Aside from her near death experience with Ray Swann, that was a great day for her. Sam had opened up to her during that trip about his sister, Sarah. She loved that he trusted her enough to talk about his private life. Sam had saved her life that day. If he wouldn't have been the amazing cop that he is, she would be dead. Tonight was her turn to return the favor. She had done everything she could tonight. She took control of the situation, talked Ricky down and got out of there as fast as she could to warn the cover team. Now she had to wait. She had to have faith that he was going to be okay. He is awesome. He said so himself. She had to continue convincing herself that nothing could happen to him. The alternative was admitting that maybe something had happened and she wasn't ready to go there. She would never be ready to go there.

As she saw the old abandoned warehouse in the distance she thought about the last time her and Sam worked together. The day they had to prove that her dad didn't kill someone during one of his many benders. All evidence made her dad out to be a murderer. Without Sam by her side, Andy would have fallen apart that day. He had been her rock. He was constantly stopping her from jumping to conclusions. He may have thought her dad was guilty, but not once did he let it show. Instead he worked desperately with her to prove his innocence. They were a good team. Everyone could see it. She had found someone that she was completely compatible with on the job. Perhaps, even off the job. She didn't know about that last one. Not yet. He was her partner and he just had to be alright. She couldn't lose him. She wouldn't lose him.

As they pulled up to the warehouse, Andy felt like she was going to throw up. Her stomach was in knots and her heart was shattering by the minute. She was pulled back to reality, by the stopping of the Suburban and the sounds of the doors slamming as Luke, Noelle and Boyd got out of the car. The sounds that had been echoes before, she was now able to define. This was it. She had no idea what was going to happen. What she would see or find out in the next few minutes might change her life forever.

Andy thought it must be true what they say. In the end you start thinking about the beginning. She didn't know if this was the end. She desperately pleaded with everything inside of her that it wasn't. But she did know that she spent that last couple of minutes thinking about everything that has happened between her and Sam. Sam. The smart, funny, incredibly cocky and courageous man that she had grown to admire so much.

As Andy hopped out of the car, she was surprised she could even walk. She was in bad shape. She knew she was holding it together on the outside, but she was terrified. She knew this was it. She was about to find out if Sam Swarek was dead. The thought made her eyes start to water. She knew it was freezing out, she could see her breath, but she couldn't feel a thing. She was numb. She was running on auto pilot as she noticed the tarp with the body under it. She froze. She didn't know if she could do it. She wanted to run. She didn't want to see the body under that tarp. It couldn't be Sam. Not _her _Sam. She took a deep breath, steadied herself and continued to walk towards the body bag. She was going to do this. She was going to be strong because if that was Sam Swarek under that tarp then he deserved that much from her.


	2. Chapter 2

Nope, don't own Rookie Blue.

Here's chapter 2. I really hope you guys like it! I definitely enjoyed writing it. I'm probably going to continue with this story. Anyway, enjoy! Oh, and don't hesitate to review =)

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Andy inched her way towards the tarp where Luke and Boyd were already positioned. She saw Boyd squat down next to the body. Her gut wrenched and her knees felt like they were going to give out. At this point, Andy had stopped breathing.

Boyd pulled down the tarp to reveal the face of Angel at the exact moment that Andy heard her last name. _McNally._ It was all she needed to hear. She turned her head to see Sam Swarek leaning against the hood of a car, smiling at her as if nothing had happened.

She let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. He was alive. He wasn't dead. He had made it out. Her mind was racing. If she thought she was in shock before when she thought he was dead, it was nothing compared to the level of shock she was feeling right now seeing him alive. She wanted nothing more than to run over to him and hurl her herself into his arms. She wanted to wrap her entire body around him. She wanted to kiss him. Really kiss him with all the passion she had been suppressing inside her heart since the day they had met. But she couldn't. Her body wouldn't respond to the actions her heart was willing her to do. So instead, she smiled and forced herself to only walk over to where he was standing.

"Hey," she breathed in a sigh of relief. "You're okay," she added smiling up at him. She stopped in front of him. There was so much she wanted to say. She wanted to tell him how scared she had been when she thought he had been shot. She wanted to explain to him how happy she was to be standing in front of him right now. She wanted to tell him that the thought of losing him forever had felt unbearable. She wanted to _show_ him what he meant to her. What he means to her.

"Yeah," he laughed lightly. "Thanks to you, you were great in there," he continued pushing his weight off the car he was leaning on. Andy could see his relief at seeing her in his eyes. She realized that he hadn't known her fate up until this moment either.

He stepped closer to her. As if her presence was pulling him in. He wanted to throw his arms around her and bring her into his chest and never let go. He wanted to take her face in his hands like he had done earlier that night and kiss her with everything he was worth. He couldn't believe it. They were both okay. She was alive and safe. She wasn't hurt. Sam didn't know what had gone down at Mermaid Lounge after he left with Angel, but none of that mattered now. She was standing in front of him. She had found him.

"Thanks," she smiled and said in return to his complement. She had been great in there because _he_ was there. She could have never done this mission alone. She could have never done it with anyone other than him.

Sam smiled, "See, you don't have to fake it anymore." And she didn't. She didn't need to fake anything. On the job or off. He knew his words had an underlying meaning. He wasn't just telling her that she was a great cop. He wasn't just telling her that she could trust herself and her abilities. He knew, even if she would never realize it, that he was telling her she didn't need to fake it with him. He was desperately hoping she would read into what he was saying to her. That she would agree and finally tell him how she felt. Tell him what she wanted. He knew the answer. The answer was him. What he didn't know is why _she_ didn't know the answer. No, she knew that answer too. What he didn't know is why she couldn't just admit her feelings to herself. Why must she fake it?

Andy didn't know what to say. She heard what he had said. She didn't need to fake it. _If only everything were that easy_, she thought. She couldn't tear her eyes away from him. She almost lost him. She needed to look at him. She and Sam had risked their lives tonight. They should both be dead right now. The thought still sent shivers up her spine. Again, she felt the urge to lung towards him and wrap her arms around his neck. She wanted to feel his body against hers. Maybe if she took him in her arms she would finally come out of this state of shock she was currently locked in. But she wouldn't. He was safe now. There was no reason to overreact.

Sam ripped Andy away from her thoughts when he finally spoke after their long moment of silence. He managed to pull his eyes away from hers and say, "Well I should uh…get in there and give a statement."

Andy nodded, "Alright." She had to force herself to agree with him. She didn't want him to leave her. She knew he had to go give his statement but she wished it could wait. She wanted to be close to him. She didn't want him out of her sight. There was still so much she wanted to say to him…

Sam leaned down towards her face, "See you tomorrow? Copper."

Andy smiled when she realized that she was going to see him tomorrow. There was no doubt about it. He would be back at work tomorrow. "See you tomorrow," she answered as she watched him walk away. As she turned her gaze to follow him into the building, any thoughts of calling after him were shattered when she saw Luke coming her way.

"He's okay, you had his back," Luke said walking up to her.

She smiled knowingly, "Yeah. Thank you, for having mine." Luke did have her back tonight. Her mind might not have been focused on that, but she was thankful that Luke had been there for her tonight.

She scooted closer to him and asked, "So um…when do we get our keys?" She was going to move in with Luke. She had already committed and there was no reason why she shouldn't follow through with it, was there? What she couldn't understand is why asking him that question suddenly made her heart sink.

Luke laughed and pulled her into a hug. She hugged him back but as she wrapped her arms around his neck Sam's face flashed in her mind. Sam. He was the reason why she shouldn't move in with Luke. He was the reason her heart sank every time she envisioned what her new life with Luke would be like. A life with Luke meant a life without Sam. Andy didn't know if she was willing to make such a sacrifice.

"Do you want a ride home or to the Penny?" Luke asked as they pulled apart.

"No, I think I'm going to find Traci and Dov," she returned. Andy wasn't ready to leave the scene just yet. She did want to find her friends to see how they were doing. She hadn't seen them since she left the barn earlier that night and had no idea what happened with them tonight. But she also wanted to find Sam again. She hadn't seen him leave yet and she figured he was still inside giving his statement. She needed to talk to him and she knew that if she didn't do it tonight she probably never would.

Andy said goodnight to Luke and headed in the direction of her friends.

"Just got off the phone with Gail. Chris is going to be alright. He lost a lot of blood, but it's okay," Dov said as he came to join Andy and Traci on the back of the cruiser.

"Good," Andy and Traci said in unison.

"Hey, you guys saved his life today," Andy added looking between Dov and Traci.

Traci smiled, "Hey, you saved Swarek's ass."

She did. Andy McNally had saved Sam Swarek's life tonight. The thought made her smile, but it seemed insignificant compared to the night's events. So much had happened tonight. Just thinking about the night made her woozy. Sam could have died. Chris could have died. Hell, she could have died. Tonight was a huge night for the coppers of Fifteenth division. Andy, Dov and Traci reveled in the thought of them being a part of the biggest drug bust in the division's history.

Andy was pulled away from her thoughts as she caught a glimpse of Sam leaving the warehouse. He was done giving his statement and probably heading back to the station.

"Hey I'll see you guys tomorrow. There's something I need to take care of," Andy said to her friends as she hopped off the back of the police cruiser. She said her goodnights and turned towards the warehouse.

"Sam, hey, wait up," Andy shouted as she ran to catch up to him.

"McNally, hey. What are you still doing here?" Sam questioned as he turned around to face her.

"I wanted to stay and make sure Chris was alright," she answered only half telling the truth.

"Oh, how is he? I heard that he was stabbed," Sam said with a concerned look on his face.

"Yeah, he's alright. He lost a lot of blood and the doctors are going to keep him overnight, but he'll be okay," she informed him.

"Good. I'm glad to hear that," Sam said while nodding.

Andy only managed to smile in return. She started to feel dizzy all over again. The scene was still full of chaos with people running around everywhere.

"Hey, you alright?" Sam asked seeing that Andy was looking a little uneasy. He wasn't sure why she had come up to talk to him again. They had already talked and said their goodbyes.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," she said. "I just…I just keep thinking about tonight. I don't know if I've ever been so scared in my life."

"It's alright. Tonight was a big night. It was scary for everyone. No one knew what was going to happen. Chris is going to be okay though. You said so yourself," he said looking into her eyes.

"Sam, that's not why I was scared. I didn't even know Chris had been stabbed until a few minutes ago. I was scared…I was scared because I thought you were dead. I thought you had been shot and I was never going to see you again. Just thinking that you were hurt or worse made me sick. Don't get me wrong, hearing Chris was stabbed was horrible, but you, Sam. I don't know what I would do without you. If anything ever happened to you," her voice trailed off as tears started flowing down her cheeks.

He swooped her into his arms. "Andy, its okay, its alright. I'm okay," he said rubbing her back to calm her down.

She was shaking. The thought of him being dead had really shaken her up. He was a little surprised. When they had talked earlier he could see the relief in her eyes when she saw him, but she seemed relatively calm. She wasn't calm now. She was grasping at his back, holding on for her life.

She pulled away and wiped her damp eyes. She knew that some of the other cops had seen the two of them hugging and figured it would be nice to be have some privacy if she was going to be this emotional. "Sam do you think we could maybe go for a walk? Get away from all this commotion?"

"Of course," he said as he guided her with his hand on the small of her back to the sidewalk adjacent to the warehouse. It was a cold night, but he welcomed the fresh air.

Andy began again, "When I left the night club I had no idea where you had gone. I didn't know if you were okay. As I drove with the cover team here all I could hear was the radio saying that shots were being fired and that there was one person shot dead. All I could think about was you. That you couldn't be the victim. You couldn't be dead."

They continued walking side by side. "Its like I slipped away into my thoughts and drowned the rest of the world out during the ride over here. I started reliving the last year of my life. The last year of my life with you. I thought about the first day we had met and how I tackled you thinking you were a drug dealer. I remembered the night in the parking lot outside the Penny when I almost kissed you. I recalled our first undercover op together when I had to play a prostitute and I screwed up royally but you weren't even mad. I thought about how you helped me with Benny's foster mom without question because that's just the kind of man you are. I remembered the night of the blackout when we almost made love," she stopped and looked up at him. She had never said it like that before. She had never used the word love out loud to describe her feelings for him. She shook it off and continued, "I thought about our trip to Sudbury when you saved my life. It was a hell of a trip but a pretty good day overall," she laughed to herself remembering the hambulance joke. "Sam what I'm trying to say is, the thought of losing you, not having you in my life…I can't not have you in my life. I just can't," she stopped and exhaled. She was going to get it all out.

He stopped walking and turned her so she was facing him. "Andy, I'm not going anywhere. I'm here for you, always. I'm never going to leave you. That is one thing you never have to worry about. Nothing's going to change," he finished searching her eyes for acknowledgment.

"I told Luke I'd move in with him," she spilled looking down at her feet to avoid the pain she knew would be in his eyes.

Sam sighed and removed his hands from her arms and backed a step away. "You…you're moving in with Callaghan?" he asked in the most deflated voice he had ever heard come out of his mouth.

"He found this really great house and he asked me to and I didn't know what to say so I just said yes," she let out barely able to look at him. She didn't want to see his pain and she didn't want him to see her regret.

"When?" he asked.

"Yesterday," she answered.

Sam didn't know what to say. He was pretty sure that she had just poured her heart out to him less than two minutes ago and now all of the sudden she was telling him that she was going to be moving in with Callaghan. He didn't get it. He didn't understand the way she thought sometimes. He knew she didn't love Callaghan. He could see it in her eyes, hear it in her voice. Why would she agree to move in with the guy? They haven't even been dating that long. They don't even know each other. At least not in the way that he and her know each other.

"Do you love him?" he asked. He knew it was none of his business but right now he could care less about the rules of their "friendship."

Andy didn't say anything. She looked down at her feet and played with her hands trying desperately to avoid the question and his eyes.

He asked her again, "Do you love him?"

"Yeah, of course I love him," she said weakly still looking at the ground.

Sam was getting angry now. "Andy, I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me that you love Callaghan in the same way that you love me," he said to her lifting her chin up with his hand so she was forced to look at him.

She hesitated while a single tear rolled down her cheek. "Sam, you and me, we're friends…"

"Oh bullshit Andy," he screamed at her. "You know damn well that you and I are more than friends. I've played along for a while now with this "friends" game you are so fond of, but enough is enough. I'm not going to do it anymore. I can't just be your friend anymore, Andy. And I know you feel the same way. You just said so. You don't want to live without me. Well I don't want to live without you either. Tonight was hell for me. I almost died. You almost died. A lot of things were put into perspective for me tonight. I'm not going to go through the motions with you anymore. This little act that we have going on, I'm done. If you are in love with Luke and you want to move in with him, fine. Do it. But know that you and I will not be friends if you do. I can't sit back and watch the woman I'm in love with fake it with another guy. I won't do it, Andy. I can't.

He had gotten it off his chest. He couldn't pretend anymore. He was in love with her and it was time that she knew it. If she still wanted to move in with Callaghan and act like she wasn't in love him then he would let her. He said his piece. He would be devastated if she chose to still continue things with Luke, but at least he knew that he had done everything he could. She knew how he felt. From where he stood, the cards were in her hand.

Andy was frozen. Her eyes lost in his. She was balling, she couldn't help it. Sam had just professed his love to her. No man had ever done that before. No man had ever loved her enough to say what he had just said. After what she had just heard, there was no way she could continue to deny herself of the love she had for the man that was standing in front of her. She had to tell him that she felt the same way. That she feels all the same feelings he does. But she wasn't sure she could. Telling Sam how she felt would mean making herself vulnerable. Vulnerability and Andy McNally did not mix well.

"Sam, I'm with Luke," was all she said. It was true. Was she just supposed to leave him to go out on a limb with Sam? Could she really risk everything she built with Luke to chance a happy ending with Sam? Her heart was screaming yes. Her heart wanted Sam and only Sam. She just needed to listen to it, for once.

Sam's chest fell at her statement. Yeah she was with Callaghan, he knew that. He knew he should let her go, but he couldn't give up yet. He hoped with a little reassurance she would give in to what she really wanted.

"What do you want, Andy?" he asked her, stepping closer to where she stood. He waited.

Andy knew what she wanted. It wasn't a matter of want. She wanted _him_. "I don't know. I don't know," she said pleading with him to give her the push she needed to say his name.

He didn't. "Alright," he said through tears he was now holding back. "I'm not going to push you into something you aren't ready for. I love you Andy. I know this. I will always love you. You need to figure out what you want. I can't help you with that. You need to make that decision on your on that way you know it's truly your decision," he said giving her one last smile before he turned to walk away from her.

Sam walked away more torn than he had ever felt in his life. He had just walked away from the only woman he would ever love in his life. Andy was it for him. She was all he wanted. All he'd ever want. But she didn't know what she wanted and he wasn't going to force her into anything she wasn't ready for. So he forced himself to leave her side and head back to the scene.

As he was walking, he heard a faint voice say, "Sam."

He stopped. He had no idea if she had really just said his name or if he had imagined it. He sure wanted it bad enough to imagine it.

He turned around to see her tear stained face. She inhaled and exhaled deeply before whispering, "I want _you_."

He stared into her eyes. He slowly walked back to where he had left her. He stopped inches from her face. "You sure?" he whispered against her lips.

"Yes," she said pulling back slightly. "Sam, I almost lost you tonight. I could have lost you tonight. I guess it took me almost losing you to realize I'm in love you. You, and only you. You are all I want. I love you. I'm sorry it took me so long to see it."

He held her gaze for a moment longer before he crashed his lips into hers. His arms wrapped around her waist pulling her into him. Her arms came up behind his neck as one of her hands laced through his hair. He used his lips to part her mouth so his tongue could further explore the taste of her. Their lips moved together like it was all they were ever meant to do. He continued kissing her. He couldn't stop. His hands lingered on her lower back making their way down to her ass. He grabbed her tighter and pushed her back against the side of the warehouse. As her back hit the wall she brought her leg up to wrap it around his body. He responded by pressing his hips forward against her. He broke their kisses only to give her lips a break and explore her neck. She let out a soft moan at the feel of his lips on a new part of her body.

She had to force herself to push him away. "Sam, Sam, stop. We can't do this here. Not like this," she explained through heavy breaths.

"Yes," he said kissing her. "Yes we can. I don't want to stop," he said into her lips before slamming his mouth to hers.

"No, Sam," she said finally finding the strength to push him away. "I want to do this right. We've wasted so much time already. I don't want to screw this up. I don't want our first time to be behind a building," she laughed placing a peck on his lips.

He groaned and laid his forehead against hers. "Okay, okay I see your point, McNally," he agreed. "Let's get out of here then. Like you said, we've wasted enough time."

She leaned into him and kissed him with as much passion as she could because she knew he wasn't going to like what she was going to say next. "I agree. We should get out of here. But I do need to talk to Luke first," she said timidly. When he was about to protest she continued, "Sam I want to give myself to you. All of myself. But I can't do that when I am still in a relationship with him. I have to end things with him before I start things with you if this is really going to work."

She was right, he knew that. He didn't want her to have any reason to run this time. "Okay fine, McNally. But make it quick," he said pulling her against him. "I want you now and I'm warning you, I am _not_ a patient man."

She smiled and kissed him before hurrying off.

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_Thoughts? Should I continue or leave it here?_


	3. Chapter 3

Still don't own Rookie Blue.

Chapter 3

Thank you guys so much for the feedback on this story! It means the world to me. Here's the third and final chapter. I really hope you guys like the way it comes together. So without further ado, here it is. Enjoy!

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Andy was able to get a ride back to the station with Officer Shaw. She needed to change out of her "Edie" attire and she figured Luke might be there as well. Even though he was never supposed to be involved with the bust tonight, she knew how devoted he was to his cases, and figured he would probably stay late and help the other detectives wrap up the details.

It would sure make everything easier if he was at the station and she could talk to him there rather than having to go find him. If he wasn't at the barn she assumed he would probably be unwinding at the Penny. Either way, she had to find him tonight.

As Shaw drove them back to the barn Andy looked back on the night's events. Tonight was probably the craziest night of her life and it wasn't even over yet. In fact, it probably had only just begun.

She really just couldn't believe all that took place tonight. She had played a crucial part in the biggest drug bust in the division's history, she had almost been shot, almost lost her partner and, most importantly, she had finally confessed her feelings to Sam. She knew that telling Sam how she felt shouldn't be the most momentous part of her night, but it was. She was proud of herself for finally listening to her heart in spite of the fear in ignited in her. Now, she had to follow through. It was easy when Sam was in front of her, holding her and kissing her. Now she was alone. She had to end things with Luke. And she realized, as the pulled up to the station, she had no idea what she was going to say to him.

After Shaw parked the car, Andy got out, thanked him for the ride and headed towards the women's locker room. She decided to skip a shower. She didn't want to waste time. A shower would give her time to think about what she was about to do and she didn't want to have any reason to change her mind. She wanted Sam. She was scared to death, but she wanted to be with him. She wasn't sure what she was about to get herself into, talking to Luke and all, but wanting Sam was no longer in question.

She changed quickly into her normal clothes, packed up her things and headed in the direction of Luke's office. She was hoping he would be there. She didn't want to waste time going to the Penny if she didn't have to.

She wasn't too surprised when she rounded the corner and saw him hunched over a pile of paperwork on his desk. Of course he had come back. If there were cases to be solved, he was going to be first in line to close them.

As she got closer to his office door she began to panic. She was about to break his heart. He had no idea what was about to happen. From his perspective, everything was fine. She fought the urge to run. _You have to end things if you want to be with Sam. Sam. He's who you want. Luke's a good guy and you care about him, but he's not Sam and he never will be, _she encouraged herself as she pushed the door to open it.

"Andy, hey sweetheart. What are you doing here?" he looked up at her and asked in an exhausted yet surprised voice.

She just stood there. All of the sudden she was at a loss for words.

"Hey, Andy, is everything okay?" he asked with concern instead of surprise. He put his pen down and walked over to where she stood on the other side of his desk. He took one of her hands in his and pulled her towards him as he positioned himself to lean on the top of his desk.

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. If he didn't know something was wrong before he definitely did now. _You can do this. Just be honest with him. He deserves the truth, _she thought as she collected herself. "No Luke. Everything's not okay," she said pulling her hand out of his and keeping full eye contact with him.

"Okay," he said puzzled. "What's going on? What happened?"

Andy took another deep breath before saying, "I…I can't be with you anymore. It's not fair to you, or me."

Luke was at a complete loss for words. He stood up and asked, "Andy, I don't understand. What happened? We were fine when I left the scene earlier."

"I know. We were, we were fine. But after you left I got to thinking and…Luke, I could have died tonight. That just made me think, made me realize that I'm done wasting time. Life is short. I don't want to be cliché, but as a cop…I can't afford to waste time doing things that don't make me happy. I'm not saying I wasn't happy with you because I have had a good time with you. But you and I aren't going to end up together. I don't see the point in drawing out the inevitable. I care about you Luke, I always will, but I can't be in this relationship anymore," she finished taking a deep breath. She could see the pain and confusion in his eyes. But she had gotten it out there. She may not have told him about what finally happened with Sam but she didn't see the need in breaking him down completely. She had already caused him enough pain.

"Does this have anything to do with Swarek?" he asked in a tone much lighter than she would have expected to hear him ask that question in. He seemed pretty calm.

So much for not talking about Sam. She wasn't going to lie to him. This had everything to do with Sam. "Luke I'm not going to lie to you, it does. But he's not the only reason I am ending things with you. I'm taking charge of my life. Doing what I want to do," she explained feeling proud of herself for the initiative she was taking.

Luke nodded as if he had already known what her answer would be. "Do you love him?" he asked trying to hide the pain in his voice.

Andy paused and remembered how just moments earlier Sam had asked her that same question about him.

"Luke…" she started but stopped. She didn't know if she could look him in the eye and tell him how she felt about Sam.

"Andy, please. Just tell me," he pleaded with her.

He deserved to know her answer. She said she was going to be honest with him. "Yes…I do," she let out in the kindest voice she could manage.

Luke shook his head in agreement. "I thought so," he said.

"What?" She asked a little bit confused.

He started to explain, "Andy, I'm not blind. I see the way you look at Swarek. You may think I don't, but I do. I see the way you are when you're around him. I have also seen the way you two interact and, yeah, it might be because you are partners, but you and I both know it's more than that. Does he make you happy?" he finished.

Andy couldn't believe how well Luke was taking this. She had just dumped him and told him it was because she has feelings for Sam, a guy he didn't exactly like. She knew he was a good man, but she didn't expect this reaction out of him at all.

She thought before she answered his question. "Yeah, he does. Or at least I think he will. I don't know yet. But I do want to find out," she finished with a half-smile in anticipation for what may come with Sam.

"Okay then," Luke said smiling at her. "Andy, I'm not mad. I'm upset. I liked being with you and I'm going to miss you, but I want you to be happy. And as painful as it is for me to say this…you're happy when you're with Sam," he finished shrugging his shoulders.

Andy couldn't help but smile up at him. She couldn't believe how well this had gone. "Thank you, Luke. For understanding, for being kind. It means a lot to me."

"I know," he said before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a hug.

She placed a hand on his cheek and smiled up at him before exiting his office. That was nowhere near as ugly as she thought it was going to be. She respected Luke, she knew that. But she had a new respect for him after tonight. She realized that she admired him for how he had just acted.

Andy stood outside Sam's apartment with butterflies in her stomach. She always had butterflies when she was around him, but tonight there seemed to be more of them. She knew once she knocked on his door everything was going to be different. A good different though.

She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. She didn't want to assume he had been waiting for her, but he answered the door pretty quickly.

"Hey," he said giving her his famous dimpled smile.

"Hi," she returned looking deep into his eyes.

Before he could say anything else, she stepped forward, took his face in her hands, and kissed him as if she had waited her entire life to do so.

God, did he love this woman. He couldn't tear his eyes away from hers. Never has he seen how much someone loves him just by looking in their eyes. He could see how much she loved him and he loved her just as much.

"How'd it go talking to Callaghan?" he asked.

She loved that he asked. That he cared how her conversation had gone. He could have taken her straight to the bedroom but instead he wanted to make sure she was okay. "Actually…a lot better than I thought it would. He understood," she said smiling at what she had just said.

He smiled back, "So no hard feelings then?"

Andy laughed, "With me, no. But I wouldn't invite him out to dinner anytime soon if I were you."

He laughed out loud. He definitely wasn't going to do that, ever. He could see how happy she was that things had ended on good terms with Callaghan. He didn't like the guy, but he knew this was how she wanted it to go and he was happy that she was happy.

"So…you uh…want a beer?" he asked not exactly sure what he should do next. He couldn't believe that he was finally getting what he wanted. She was here, with him. Really with him. He had dreamed about this very moment for months and it was now his reality.

She laughed and slid her arms around his neck, "No, I do not want a beer, Sam. I thought you said you weren't a patient man?" she whispered rubbing her lips against his.

And with that he pulled her hips to his and kissed her. Her mouth melted into his. He slipped his tongue in so it could dance with hers. He could feel the desperation in the kiss being returned by her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and turned her so her back was against his wall. He continued kissing her. His hands running up and down her body. Hers were doing the same, going from his lower back to his hair. They couldn't get enough of each other. They had both wanted this for so long.

He needed to feel his skin against hers. He lifted her top up over her head and threw it on the ground. He took her mouth with his again as she removed his shirt. He continued kissing her stopping every once in a while and venturing to her neck to give her a chance to catch her breath.

He picked her up and set her on his hips so each one of her legs was on either side of his body. He was done with the hallway. He wanted to make love to her, to show her how much she meant to him and he wasn't going to do that anywhere other than his bed.

She let out a soft laugh as he hoisted her onto his hips. She ran her fingers thorough his hair and kissed him deeply as he carried her to his bedroom.

When they reached the side of his bed he gently set her down and removed her bra. He couldn't believe his eyes. She was perfect. Every inch of her body was perfect. He cupped her breasts in his hands as he placed another kiss on her lips.

She smiled at the satisfaction in his eyes as his hands messaged her breasts. She let her hands drift down to his belt buckle and she unclasped it. She unbuttoned his jeans and slid them to the floor so he could step out of them.

As he got rid of his jeans he lifted her up on to him once more and placed her on his bed. She laughed again and this time he knew it was because of the feeling of his hardness against her.

As he set her head against his pillow he took her mouth in his. He continued to place kisses along her neck and slowly down the rest of her body lingering in just the right places. When he got to the tip of her underwear he gently slid it down her legs. He returned to right where he left off and placed soft kisses where she wanted him most. She parted her legs and he took her in his mouth. The taste of her was intoxicating. After he was sure he had her just where he wanted her, he slipped off his boxers. He glanced up at her, as if he needed to make sure she really wanted to do this. He got the approval he was searching for when she grabbed his face and brought him back up to her. She planted a hungry kiss on his lips that willed him inside of her. As he entered she let out a soft moan and dug her fingers into his back. He thrust back and forth, switching up the speed as he went to keep her wanting more. When he could tell that she was about to go over the edge he removed his lips from hers and whispered "I love you" which she returned along with a passionate kiss before spilling out. He followed suit and came right after she did never once breaking their kiss.

Andy lay breathless alongside of Sam. She had never felt like this before. She had never felt so satisfied in her life. She knew being with Sam would be unbelievable, but experiencing him was much different than thinking about it. She didn't know it was possible to love someone as much as she loved Sam at this moment. She wanted to feel this way every day for the rest of her life. And she would. She had found the man she was born to be with. She found her soul mate.

Sam lay catching his breath with Andy in his arms. The woman of his dreams was in his arms. She was finally lying with him in his bed. They had finished what they started and she didn't want to run. He had had a rough day, but all of that was forgotten now. As they both caught their breath he pictured what his life would be like having her in his arms at the end of every rough day.

She was the first to speak. "Wow. That uh…that was really something," she said rubbing her hand along his chest.

"Well, what did you expect? Like I said earlier tonight, McNally, I'm awesome," he laughed squeezing her closer to him.

She laughed out loud and turned so she was looking at him. "That you are, Sam. That you are," she said placing a peck on his lips.

He laughed as she laid her head against his chest and he kissed her hair. "Andy, I want you to know that I'm in this for the long haul. I want to be with you. I want to do what we just did every night for the rest of my life," he said rubbing his hand up and down her arm.

She turned to face him again and leaned on her elbow so she was eye level with him and returned, "Me too, Sam. I want you. Every day for the rest of my life. It's been you. It's been you this entire time."

Sam gave her the biggest smile she had ever seen, "So what now, McNally?"

"Let's do it again," she said as she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss.

* * *

_The end. I really hope you guys liked it! Please tell me what you think, I love hearing from you!_


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